Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Preview
Start a free Courses trial
to watch this video
In this video, we’ll discuss how to create UX Content that provides help and guidance at all times, anticipating needs and solving problems before users get lost or frustrated.
Resources
New Terms:
- Helpful UX Content - Detailed content that provides relevant, instructional support; keeps users engaged; and provides logical pathways for users.
Further Reading:
-
How to Write an Effective Knowledge Base Article, by HelpScout
Related Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign upRelated Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign up
UX content can help customers, clients and
other users become more familiar and
0:00
comfortable, with
the services you provided.
0:05
But once those people have a basic
understanding and familiarity,
0:08
you wanna support them and
make them feel secure.
0:11
So let's discuss another form of UX
content to focus on, helpful UX content.
0:14
When you hear the term helpful UX content,
0:20
one might assume we're talking
about the stuff you create for
0:22
a help or support section on a website and
that's certainly true.
0:26
When we create helpful UX content,
we want to provide support for
0:30
our users, but
we can also use it keep users engaged and
0:35
create logical pathways for
users to follow.
0:39
So helpful UX content may show up in
many areas of your website or app.
0:43
Let's focus on how we create it.
0:48
If you provide products or services
with any element of complexity to them,
0:51
you need to provide some level of support.
0:55
And as we've been saying,
you've gotta do more than the minimum.
0:58
So listing an email address or providing
a vague help form isn't gonna cut it.
1:01
Go the extra mile and anticipate what
users need and when they'll need it.
1:06
Providing some logical easy to understand
UX content could really help them out.
1:12
One strategy is to
create a knowledge base.
1:18
A section of content that provides
instructional information for your users.
1:21
This makes sense if you have a product
that requires specific knowledge
1:26
to use it.
1:30
Or if you offer advanced features that
could be explained through things like
1:30
step by step instructions, downloadable
guides, or walk through videos.
1:35
For example,
Basecamp has it's own knowledge base,
1:40
offering detailed information about how
to manage permissions for projects.
1:43
Or how to upgrade your
workspace from version 2 to 3.
1:48
Ultimately, you wanna ensure users
will be able successfully use whatever
1:53
you've created for them.
1:57
Making the overall experience feel more
supportive and reliable for your user.
1:59
Have you ever bought something or
tried to use an online platform,
2:05
only to get to some
point where you give up?
2:10
Maybe you can't figure out how it works,
or
2:12
you get overwhelmed by all
its many features, details.
2:15
In many cases,
users may abandon a product altogether, or
2:19
another goal of this helpful UX
content is to keep users engaged.
2:23
The idea is that if you can help users
better understand your offerings and
2:28
educate and support them through various
issues, those users will stay motivated.
2:33
They'll want to keep using
whatever you've created.
2:39
Emma's support pages were created to help
explain to customers how their email
2:42
service works and what things mean,
like specific email response analytics.
2:47
But they don't just provide definitions,
2:53
they write the content in an approachable,
easy to understand way.
2:56
An important point here is that if
you can speak your user's language,
3:01
they'll understand and
appreciate the content.
3:05
That means writing in a style
that's clear and familiar to them.
3:08
Using terms and even a personality
that resonates with them.
3:12
And it's even more helpful when you
focus on details that are personally
3:16
important to them.
3:19
If you understand who your users are and
what they are trying to accomplish,
3:20
then you'll know which features
they need help understanding.
3:24
How to convey information to them and
3:28
what UX content you need to
create to support their goals.
3:31
One more goal we mentioned for
3:35
helpful UX content was to create
logical pathways for our users.
3:37
No matter what kind of website or
app you build,
3:41
you'll want your users
to take certain actions.
3:44
And sometimes, it'll make sense for
them to follow a path or
3:47
a specific order of actions.
3:51
In UX circles,
this might also be known as the user flow.
3:52
Like if someone searches for a game in
the PlayStation Store, it makes sense for
3:57
Sony to provide a path to purchase
that game once the user finds it.
4:02
In this case, the user interface will draw
attention to that path with a big button.
4:06
But a great example of this helpful
UX content is the website for
4:12
the Apple trade-in program.
4:16
If a customer is considering
trading in their laptop or iPhone,
4:18
Apple will walk them through a series of
questions that determines which device
4:21
they've got and it's current condition.
4:26
Each step is simple and friendly and
includes short messages,
4:28
with easy choices and
a progress bar at the top.
4:33
They also include little,
what does this mean links, with short,
4:36
simple explanations.
4:41
And by the end, Apple has all the info
they need to provide an estimate.
4:42
Which is what the user wanted, but
4:46
they also give the user more
logical paths related to this.
4:49
Like actually going forward with the
trad-in so the user can get their money.
4:53
In the end, helpful UX content
does more than just provide help.
4:59
It moves your users further down
important pathways, removing barriers and
5:03
making the choice to take action much
easier and much more attractive.
5:08
When you've got a potential customer
ready to trade-in hardware,
5:14
there's a big difference between Apple
providing the address of the nearest
5:18
Apple Store, and forcing the customer
to physically go there, or
5:23
getting users one click away from
competing the actual process.
5:27
So, how can you use this
content to help your users?
5:31
Identify those paths.
5:37
Where do users arrive on your site and
where do they go?
5:39
What features do they use, or
what content do they look for?
5:43
Using helpful UX content, you could
guide them closer to a purchase or
5:46
expand their knowledge.
5:51
But regardless of their action,
your helpful content could build trust and
5:53
faith in your website or app.
5:57
If you can anticipate your users'
needs and what they are trying to do,
5:59
your UX content will be
perfectly helpful and effective.
6:04
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign upYou need to sign up for Treehouse in order to set up Workspace
Sign up